Transmission mechanism.



l. E. OVREN.

TRANSMISSION MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILED ocT. I3.'I9II.

1 ,301,592, Y Pswtented Apr. 22,1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l- @m (lav/v.

Z m? @M @Mom/m97 Y I. E. OVRIN.

TRANSMISSION MEcHAmsM.

APPLICATION FILED DCT. I3. ISI]v r 1,301,592, Patented Apr. 22, 1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

I. E. OVREN.

TRANSMISSION MECHANISM.

APPLIcArloN min ocr. la, :911.

Patented Apr. 22, 1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN E. OVREN, OF STOUGHTON, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF TO JOKUMJOHNSON, OF STOUGHTON, WISCONSIN.

TRANSMISSION MECHANISM.

Application tiled October 13, 1917.

To aM 'who/n. it may concern.'

Be it known that I. .louN E. OWEN, a citizen of the United States. andresident. of Stoughton, in the county of Dane and State of Wisconsin.have invented certain new and useful Improvements in TransmissionMechanisms; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear.and exact description thereof.

My invention refers to new and useful improvements in transmissionmechanisms for vehicles, such as automobiles, tractors and the like.

In some classes of vehicles particularly farm tractors it isessentialthat a variable speed connection be provided between the drive Wheelsand the driving axle, this being much more efficient in these classes ofmachines than the usual transmission 1nechanisms found on commercial andpleasure vehicles. It is. therefore. the primary object of the inventionto provide an extremely simply constructed transmission mechanism of theplanetary type for use on motor vehieles.

It is a less important object of the inven tion to provide anarrangement whereby all of the operating mechanisms may be mount-- ed ina compact casing secured upon the vehicle Wheel.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a simple and novelmeans for changing the speed of rotation of the wheels with res ect totheir driving axle.

ith these and other objects in view the invention resides in the novelfeatures of construction. combination and arrangement of parts whichwill be hereinafter more particularlv described and claimed and shown inthe rawings. wherein:

Figure 1 represents a substantially vertical sectional view taken'approxin\atel \l upon the plane of the line 1-1 of Fig. 2.

Fig. .2 is a vertical transverse section through the planetary gear.

Fig. 3 is a similar view taken substantially on the plane of the line ofFig. 1, and

Fig. 4 is a detail plan view of a portion ofthe drive axle of a motorvehicle `showing thc spokes of one wheel in section. a nd illustratingmore` partieularlv one means for changing the speed of rotation ofthewheels.

lu the accompanying drawings a rear axle Specification ofLettersl'latent.

Patented Apr. 22, 1919.

Serial No. 196.898.

construction of conventional design has been illustrated, the sameincluding a driving axle. 1 which is caused to rotate by a suitablepower plant (not shown), and a relatively stationary casing i2surrounding the same. The casing terminates inwardly of the end of theaxle and is provided with a radial attaching flange 3 to which issecured a bearing sleeve 4 by means of the circular plate 5, the lastmentioned part and the flange 3 being fixed together b v the bolts andnuts 6.

The wheel 7 is designed to revolve on the sleeve 4. its annularl hublining 8 being .spaced therefrom to permit the insertion of a number ofroller bearings 9. The hub lining has a brake housing 10 carriedthereby. the same being also fixed to the wheel by means of bolts 11.One wall of the brake housing is formed by the plate 5 and therein ismounted a brake 12 of conventional design.

The brake housing as illustrated in Fig. 1 is secured to the inner faceof the wheel 7, while to the outer side thereof is secured a` cup shapedgear housing 13, the open `side thereof having an annular flange 14provided with a number of holt openings to receive the shanks of thebolts 11. It is within this housing 13 and sleeve 4 that all of theoperating parts of my invention are disposed. lt will be seen from Fig.4 that in vieu' of this arrangement a velv neatly constructed andappearing Wheel has been produced.

The. planetary gear disposed within the housing 13 comprises a masterspur gear 15 mounted on. or formed integrally. with a relatively longsleeve 16. an internal gear 17` and a plurality of pinionsl 18 whoseteeth mesh with the teeth of the gears 15 and 17. By means of the sleeve16 the master gear 15 is 'iXed to the axle 1 so as to revolve therewith;the pinions 18 are carried by the housing 13. being attached thereto b vthe bolts 19.

The internal gear 17 is Jformed on a circular plate 20 which is providedwith an aperture. substantially the same size as the opening to thesleeve 4. the wall of thisl aperture being provided with gear teeth 20'for engagement with the teeth 21 formed on the peripherv ot' a lockingmember 21. said member being preferably in the form of a spur gear. Theinner wall of the outer lli end of the sleeve 4 is also provided withteeth ai for coperation with the teeth on the gear 21. Mounted betweenthe master gear and the plate 20 is a second plate 22. the saine beingsecured to the housing 13 h r the bolts 19. The aperture which isprovided in this plate 22 has its wall cut to form gear teeth 22' whichare also adapted to be engaged by the teeth of the gear `21.

This gear 21 is designed to slide on the sleeve 16 and is rotatableindependently thereof. it being moved by means of a gear shift rodhaving on one end a Spanner 24 which is arranged substantially as shownin Fig. 3. Fig. 4 shows one means whereby the gear shifting rod 23 maybe actuated. this consisting of a bell crank and a connectin rod 26which extends to a suitable actuating lever (not shown) disposedadjacent the drivers seat of the vehicle.

This invention is so constructed that the wheel may be caused to rotateat two different speeds, namely, a. low and a high speed, the latterbeing a direct drive between the axle 1 and the wheel 7. There is also aneutral position whereby the wheel'may be entirely disconnected from theaxle 1. When the parts are arranged in loT speed the will appear asillustrated in Fig. l, in which case the internal gear 17 is heldrelatively stationary, it being fixed to the casing 2 because of theengagement of the gear teeth 21 with the teeth 4 and '20. The axle 1 isthen driving through the master lgear 15. the pinions 18 and theinternal gear so that the rotative speed of said axle is suitablyreduced by the time it is transmitted to the wheel 7.

When in high speed the gear 21 will lock the internal gear 17 to thehousing 13, the teeth 21 being then in mesh with the teeth 20 and 22 ofthe plates 20 and 22 respectively. The axle will then be driving directly to the wheel 7.

The neutral position of the parts is cured by shifting the gear 21 untilits teeth are out of engagement with both the teeth l and the teeth 22',the internal gear 17 beingr then free to rotate at will. In this casethe energy of the axle 1 will be expended 'in rotating the master gearl5 and the pinions 18 withoutI actuating the wheel 7.

From the foregoing description `taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings it will be seen that a simply vconstructedtransmission mechanism has been provided which can be housed in arelatively small space upon the drive wheels of an autoniebile or othermotor vehicle. This construction will be found to be particularly usefulin farm tractors and other similar machines. the low speed being usedwhen the tractor is in active operation on sott ground. while the highspeed is used when the machine is traveling over a road.

l claim: l. lransimssion mechanism of the class described comprising adrive axle, a wheel therefor. :i master gear rotatable with the axle. aninternal gear, a pinion carried b v the wheel and mes-hing with themaster gear :ind internal gear. and a locking member moralihl withrespect to thiI internal gear :ind n ith rrspi-.i io the wheel andengaging the internal gear for `selectively holding the internal gearagainst rotation to procure :i reduced spi-rd ot' the wheel with respectto said drive axle. or for locking the internal gear to thil whrcl torotate the wheel directly from its drive axle.

.i transmission mechanism of the 'class described including a casing, abearing sleeve carried by the casing, a drive axle extended through thecasing and sleeve, a wheel journaled on the bearing sleeve, a master ar'carried by the axle outwardly of the eel, an internal gea-1'. a pinioncarried bythe wheel and meshing with the master gear and the internalgear. .i locking member loosely slidable on the axle and connectedWith'the internal gear and adapted respectively for comici-tion witheither the sleeve or the vwheel to lock the internal gear againstrotation with respect to either the bearing sleeve or the wheel, andmeans extendin through the bearing sleeve Jfor sliding said lockingmember.

3. In a machine of the class described, a drive axle.y a wheel therefor,a. master gear rotatable with the axle. an internal geaiga pinionconnected with the wheel and with the master and internal gears. asliding locking members continuously connected with said internal gear,a relatively stationary retaining member. a locking member engagingmeans carried by said wheel, and means for shifting the loi-king membereither into engagement with the retaining member whereby to hold theinternal gear relatively stationary. or with said engaging means wherebyto fix the internal gear tothe wheel.

A1f. ln a mechanism of the class described, a drive axle, a wheeltherefor, a master gear rotatable with the axle, an internal gear, `anapertured plate connected to said internal gear and having teeth formedin the wall of its aperture, a pinion connected with the wheel and withthe master and internal gears. a second apertured plate carried by thewheel. said plate having teeth formed in the wall of its aperture, and aslidable ear engageable with the teeth of the first p ate forselectively holding the internal gear relatively stationary or lockingthe same to the wheel by engagement with the teeth of the second plate.whereby to change the Speed oi said wheel.

3. A transmission mechanism of the class desrribed including :i casing.a bearing sleeve carried by the casing, a drive axle extended throughthe (using and sleeve, n wheel jourrmled on the bearing sleeve, a mastergear carried by the axle outwardly of the wheel. an internal gear Wheelincluding a body plate disposed between the wheel and muster wir, nsecond plante disposed between the Andy plate of the internal gear andthe master gear, n easing carried by the wheel and Snrrounding themaster gear and internal gear. shafts secured in the outer Wall of theoasin and the second named plate, pinions on Saud Shafts nieshin withthel master geur and internal gear, c utoh teeth on the bearing sleeve,clutch teeth on the body plate of the internal gear, clutch teeth on theSecond plate, :l clutch member slidably engageable with the teeth of thebody plate of the internal gen1' und selevtively engdgeable with eitherthe vlntch teeth of the bearing sleeve or the clutch teeth of the secondplate, and means for shifting said clutch member.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing l have hereunto eet my hand atStoughton, in the county of Dane, and State of lViseonsin.

JOHN E. OVREN.

Copies o! this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Qommissinner ot Patents, Walhington, D. G.

